Census Cartography and Automation Dr. R. P. Singh Consultant (Map) Office of the Registrar General, India, India Email: rpsinghmap@yahoo.com The present paper deals with the different stages of development of Cartography in Census Organization. In the first few paragraphs, a review of the previous mapping/published work in Census Organization is made. Afterwards the present needs has been analysed. It is felt that the growing demands of Census mapping is difficult to meet through manual Cartography. Hence introduction/adoption of automated Cartography become a reality. Cartography and Census are related with each other since its beginning stage. Earlier Census reports are well covered with maps and diagrams. Such maps and diagrams from the first regular Census of 1872 up to 1951 were mainly published as supporting documents in the reports. Different Cartographic techniques were used for depicting the data in various Census reports. The Cartographic contribution in 1961 Census have established this Organization as one of the leading producer of maps and made people to realize that apart from Survey of India and Geological Survey, the Census of India is the largest single producer of maps of the Indian sub-continent. In the decade of 1961 the main demographic data of India and the States/Union territories were published in the form of atlas. Besides atlases, other maps were also published in different Census reports. In the Census Centenary year, another Cartographic publication of Census Centenary Atlas was added in the list of Census mapping. This atlas volume unfolds the major demographic data through maps from the decade of 1901 to 1971. Besides above, States/Union territories Administrative Atlases, Urban land use maps and Standard Urban Areas maps were published during 1971 Census. During Census 1981 and 1991 there was not much change in the mapping technology of census. During Census 2001, the Organization introduced the Computer assisted Cartography in a big way and as today it has prepared digital database from country to village.